Still one of the creepiest vampires to ever grace the silver screen, F.W. Murnau’s silent film Nosferatu changed the horror landscape forever. That very film, made back in 1922, is now getting remade by Jeff Robinov’s Studio 8, who has brought on the once production designer Robert Eggers to write and direct. Eggers recently turned his talents towards directing, delivering what is said to be one of this year’s best horror films in The Witch—a film that won him the directing prize at Sundance.
While Eggers is certainly a newcomer (as far as directing goes), he’s no slouch. His first feature film, The Witch, is a satanic period piece with a brooding atmosphere, so he sounds just right for a remake of Nosferatu. And while details are still under wraps, Deadline is calling it a “visceral adaptation”, which is very encouraging.
In the original film:
The mysterious Count Orlok (Max Schreck) summons Thomas Hutter to his remote Transylvanian castle in the mountains. The eerie Orlok seeks to buy a house near Hutter and his wife, Ellen. After Orlok reveals his vampire nature, Hutter struggles to escape the castle, knowing that Ellen is in grave danger. Meanwhile Orlok’s servant, Knock, prepares for his master to arrive at his new home.
Eggers won’t be the first director trying his hand at breathing new life into this classic, either. In 1979, Werner Herzog’s unofficial, stylistic remake Nosferatu the Vampyre (below) delivered a wonderfully creepy and atmospheric take on the character, so it’ll be interesting to see where Eggers’ vision differentiates. I’m probably more excited for this than I should be, but I really think it’s in some pretty good hands and I can’t wait to see what they do with it.
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It’ll be interesting to see how it is received… not sure it’s necessary to have it remade again though.
Yeah for sure. I’m curious to see if he sticks to the same design as Count Orlok because that’s really what makes Nosferatu so iconic.
That’s very true. A tough call for him I would have thought between keeping the icon and trying to create your own.
Yep, agreed! Herzog’s was a lot like that, too.
I’ve not seen the 1922 version, even though I keep meaning to search for it (probably available on YouTube, for pete sake!). It’ll be interesting to see the modern take on this story, and if they incorporate German Expressionism. It’ll be a tricky thing, like the previous commenter said. How do you re-work such an icon?
Thanks for the heads up about this!
It’s a fun watch with some surprisingly creepy elements to it. Count Orlok is still probably one of the creepiest vamps ever! Believe it or not, but it’s actually available on Netflix if you have it.
Yeah, I think balancing the look of him with something classic and modern is the way to go. Can’t wait to see it, though!